"I cannot help what you see," Azriel said with a slight shrug. "It is your subconscious that dictates my form, not anything I actively do."
Stane grunted. "Now that we have the names, what are we going to do with them?"
"The logical step," Tao said before I could open my mouth, "would be to give the information to Rhoan."
"He's not equipped to deal with black magic—"
"No," Ilianna agreed, "but the Directorate is. They have some very powerful witches in their employ, and I know for a fact they've dealt with blood witches before. It is the best option."
I tossed my phone into the pack Tao handed me. "But it means I'm not a part of the resolution."
And I wanted that. Needed that. For little Hanna's sake—and for mine.
Ilianna wrapped a hand around my arm and squeezed gently. "I know. But as you said, right now we've got bigger problems."
I blew out a frustrated breath, then nodded slowly. "Okay, let's get out of here. Tao, you drive. I'll ring Aunt Riley—" I stopped and frowned. "How come she's not here? Does she even know I went missing?"
Hell, Mom would have sensed something had happened to me, and the first—and only—person she would have rung was Riley.
Tao grimaced. "Both she and Rhoan were here. Madder than hell and ready to tear up the world to find you. Azriel convinced them to let him do the finding."
That raised my eyebrows. "Really?" I said, looking at him. "How in the hell did you conduct that miracle?"
"I can be persuasive when I want to be."
"Riley basically considers me one of her own. There's no way in hell she'd be convinced to let someone else do the hunting."
He shrugged. Matter closed, obviously. "Please, we must be going. We have delayed here too long."